Curtain Call
by chelley.rising
Summary: Curtain Calls don't occur until the story's finished being told. For Hermione Granger and other war survivors, the true story has only just begun. EWE
1. Prologue

-Authors Note-  
Hello again! It's been a while. I feel kind of bad posting another (more than likely but not necessarily) one-shot... :/ I just can't seem to find the focus to write a proper story. Or the motivation. I have plenty of ideas really...and one really really fantastic one that I'd love to write but eh. I wrote this on the plane I think, getting ready to begin summer vaca over 2 months ago and I've only gotten around to posting it now. School starts in 17 days, meaning I'll be going back to STX soon ... -_- anywho, let me stop my rambling. Enjoy this little pitiful thing and as always, please review! (and view me in 1/2!)

*Disclaimer* No shite-ola I don't own Harry Potter! My senior year hasn't even begun yet, much less my writing career. smh...

Rated T for language and (mostly implied) sexual situations

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-Prologue-

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It was done. She stood on the steps at the edge of the great hall, looking out onto the rubble. Done…

Bits of ash still whirled down around her face- landing in her hair, her nose, her mouth. She wondered if she knew any of the people she was covered in.

"Hermione?" It was Ron of course, calling her name. But she couldn't be bothered to turn around. A hand slipped into hers, dirty and calloused. She sighed. The castle lay in ruins all around them. And in the center of what used to be the courtyard was the most grotesque, yet beautiful view. Harry, standing in front of a mangled dead man- _if_ you could call him a man. Tom Riddle. Voldemort. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. In the end, his name hadn't mattered. His horcruxes were gone, wand disarmed, and he died completely and utterly alone…

Yes, the battle was over. But Hermione knew, yes. She _knew_ that the real battle had only just begun.

"Come, let's go to him." Ron said, dragging her out of her thoughts and towards their other best friend. One look into those glazed green eyes told her everything she needed to know. One look, and she could tell he also knew. From thence forward, their journey would only be that much harder. From thence on, the true battle had only just begun.


	2. Chapter 1 And Then it Changed

-Authors Note-

Hello there! Welcome to the first ever chapter one that I've posted and really ever written that holds the promise of something more to come and ohmygee this is crazy I'm actually starting a story and...! ...do ignore me please, I'm feeling rather ALKGJSBGKJREKGB! at the moment lol. Um, I hope you enjoy this chapter. This story was originally planned to be a one-shot but I decided that it was just too short and needed expanding and so here I am now! I haven't actually sat down and planned this out yet, but I have a basic idea of where it's going...NOT! lol this chapter pretty much wrote itself. My hands have a mind of their own it seems and I guess we'll all just have to sit back, relax, and see what craziness they have planned for us(: Ok, this is much too long, so I'll stop now. Don't forget to review!

*disclaimer* It's called FANfiction for a reason, no crap I don't own Harry Potter!

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Chapter 1- And Then it Changed

"Things change. And friends leave. Life doesn't stop for anybody."  
-Stephen Chbosky

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Ron was a mess. Harry was even worse. And herself? Hermione didn't even know where to begin. The war was over right? Wasn't everything supposed to get better now? Where was the overwhelming joy? The survival parties? The sunshine, even! Everything was colored grey. All around her there was only darkness and death and destruction. Hermione decided then and there that she hated "d" words.

For only the second week of August it was decidingly dreary. And once again, Hermione found herself in the astronomy tower, overlooking the damage done to her school. Her home. Because really, nothing was waiting for her back in that house on Redfern Close. It seemed like only months ago that she had entertained dreams of going Oxford, Cambridge being her second choice mainly because it was too close to home…what had happened?

She was interrupted from her musing by the sounds giggling and the rustle of clothes.

"What if we get caught?" a girls voice asked breathlessly.

"Nobody ever comes up here," Ron replied, then apparently silenced the girl with a kiss as Hermione only heard wet smacking after that.

She bit her lip to hold back tears. _Yet another failure to add to the list_…

She remembered it as though it had just happened, that kiss with Ron in the midst of battle. She had thought that, maybe, they'd finally be together.

The sound of clothing falling to floor brought Hermione back to reality. No, the stress from the war provided to be too much for Ron to deal with. And the fame of being part of the "Golden Trio" certainly wasn't helping. So he'd chosen to drown out the pain, the sorrow, the _fear-_ in the one thing he seemed to have unlimited access to. Sex.

Disillusioning herself, Hermione quietly made her way out of the tower. Wandering halls and observing the damage. That's all she seemed to be doing lately. Walking by the closed doors of the Great Hall she fought back a shudder. How had this all happened? What were they supposed to do next?

"Hermione…" she turned towards the voice, a small smile appearing on her face.

"Hello, Harry."

"Hello." He replied. She studied him. His brilliant green eyes were red, whether from tears or just lack of sleep, she didn't know, and his raven hair was in even more disarray than usual.

"Care to walk with me?" He asked, looking up at her through his messy locks, the crooked smile on his face never failing to warm her heart.

"I'd love to."

Arm in arm, they slowly made their way out the castle and towards the lake. The wind picked up speed and its coolness surprised Hermione, making her shiver. Harry just drew her in closer. She stared up at him, gusts continuously throwing his hair around and the bags under his eyes visible in the pale grey light of a rainy late afternoon. His eyes caught hers and his lips turned upwards when she realized that she'd been caught staring. Turning her face away to hide her blush she decided to break the silence.

"So?" she asked.

"So?" he replied, dragging his eyes away from the smooth surface of the lake and lifting an eyebrow. _How suave._ She rolled her eyes.

"What happened? What did she say? What did you _do?_" There was a desperate edge to her voice that she prayed he wouldn't notice.

Harry shifted and turned his head towards the horizon, stopping and standing still. His eyes darted back and forth over the landscape. _Taking in the view of the castle_, Hermione realized.

"I've called this place home for so long," he murmured, "and now look at it."

He idly gestured to the destroyed towers and bits of rubble too big to be moved without several witches and wizards help, but not really in the way of reconstruction. True, there were also some areas that had now been repaired within the three months time that had passed since the end of the battle. But they were new. Different. Nothing would be the same as before. "It's funny how everything changes…"

Hermione tugged at his hand. It hurt her to see him like this. True, there had been many . low points in Harry's life that she had borne witness to: the whole Chamber of Secrets incident, the rediscovery of Sirius Black and all the events that had followed. The Twiwizard Tournament. Umbridge and the Ministry of Magic. The death of Albus Dumbledore and, now that she really thought about it, the whole time that she, Harry and Ron had spent on the run was one giant, stressful, low point in their lives. But despite all of that, despite the constant stream of "downer-ness", she called it, that Harry encountered, not once had she ever seen him like this. He seemed ready to give up. Completely, this time.

"Sometimes…" she whispered to him, "Sometimes, change is necessary. Change is necessary for things to grow and go forward and…for times to get better, yeah?" It sounded pitiful even to her own ears.

He looked down into her eyes, his expression hard. "She's pregnant, Hermione."

She was sure that he could hear her heart plummet way, deep down into the ground. For a multitude of reasons. "How…?"

"The usual way, Hermione. Sex." He laughed bitterly. "But wait, I'm not finished telling."

"More?" She asked, slightly wary. He chuckled darkly and Hermione shivered, pulling her scarf closer around her. Something was definitely wrong.

"Yes, more." He stopped walking then, and Hermione turned to face him. He fidgeted for a second, seemingly trying to find the right words, and then looked up to the sky.

"You see Hermione….it's not mine."

"What?" It came out much louder than she meant to, but Harry didn't even react. She was scared now, for sure. His demeanor had suddenly become so dark and his voice scathing. And then she saw him bite his lip to keep what seemed like tears at bay. Hermione felt a part of her break inside. Never before had she seen Harry in so much **pain.**But there was a tension hanging in the air around them. There was something he wasn't telling her. Something else was going on. So without waiting for him, she asked.

"….who's?" she whispered, and his eyes dragged from the grey sunset back to her face once more.

"You'd never believe it."

"Try me," she pleaded.

His eyes darkened to shade that Hermione had never seen before and when she shivered again, it most definitely wasn't in response to the cold.

"Tell me, Harry!" she said, and he muttered something into the ground. "What?"

"MALFOY!" he exploded. Face red, eyes darkened and angry magic swirled around him. "Draco FUCKING Malfoy raped my, my…." He stopped and pulled out a little container from his coat pocket._ A ring_, she silently gasped. He rubbed his hand over his face in an effort to keep it together. Hermione's mouth remained open in pure shock.

"I was...I was getting ready to propose when she told me. Then…she took the ring from me and said to forget it. That I shouldn't tie myself down to someone so," his voice cracked, "so _damaged!_" he forced out through gritted teeth. He quickly turned around, swiping at his face, and it was all Hermione could do to not burst into tears right then and there.

"Oh, Harry…" she gasped, then she walked towards him and gently put a hand on his shoulder. "Look at me."

His expression caused her tears to well up instantly and she pulled him into a tight embrace.

"I'm so sorry. I am so, _so _sorry!" she whispered fiercely. She felt tears falling upon her neck and she just pulled him in closer.

"I didn't know what to say, I didn't know what to do to. She probably thinks that I don't love her anymore! But I couldn't stay in that room. Not without losing control of my rage and possibly hurting her. You know how my magic can get. It was all I could do to not lose it right there in front of her...but, God! I've probably made it worse! She's never going to have the courage to look at me again. Or herself...and that's the worst part," he started, her hair muffling his words. "She truly believes what she said. Hermione…" he picked up his head and looked her dead in the eye. "Hermione she…I don't think she's going to be okay. I don't think...that she's going to survive this."

Looking up at him questioningly, Hermione watched as he slowly went into his pocket and pulled out a piece of parchment. A feeling of dread slowly overcame her as she saw it. It couldn't be what she thought, right?

"She tried to hide it from me when I first came in," he explained, fumbling with it in his hands. "So I waited until she fell asleep before I duplicated it. Here," he handed the paper to her and hesitantly, Hermione began to read:

_If you are reading this, then that means that I am no longer with you…_

What had happened to them, indeed.

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-Review? Pretty please? xoxo


	3. Chapter 2 Not Falling Apart

-Authors Note-

This is freaking insane! Another like, legit chapter is being posted already? Let's pray that my hands continue to spew out story-ness like this all the time! I think I forgot to mention it but this story is EWE, aka canon up until that blasted epilogue -_- What else...even though it lists Hermione and Harry as the two main characters, that does NOT mean that they will be paired together. Honestly, I'm not sure what the pairings will be. But I do know what I want, and I'll try my hardest to push my hands to write the story in the that direction. lol. But I swear, even they surprised me with what was written in this chap! I'm not entirely satisfied with it, but I'm gonna post it anyways. I do hope that all of YOU enjoy it however(:  
p.s.- anyone know any good betas?

*disclaimer* Srsly. Besides the plot, I don't own any of it, ok? Geez louise.

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Chapter 2- Not Falling Apart

"Cause fucking up takes practice, and I feel I'm well rehearsed."  
-Unknown

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Ron Weasley was in a bit of a bind. He was sure that he saw the scrumptious figure of Hermione Granger when he brought his latest conquest to the Astronomy Tower earlier that day, but she hadn't even said anything. Had he finally gone too far? Was she really giving up on him? Uncapping his flask, he took a long swig of Firewhiskey before swaying down the corridor once more. He'd taken to wandering around the school in efforts of running into the witch more often, but it was as if she would disappear. He figured it made sense. After reading _Hogwarts: A History_ as many times as she had, Hermione Granger would be the one to know the castle like the back of her hand.

But he was learning as well.

Pushing through large, double doors, Ron made his way towards his new favorite spot: a long outside corridor with a lovely view of the Black Lake. A sudden gust of wind brought forth an unwanted chill and he found himself wishing that he'd put on a jumper at least. _Best take another shot of whiskey_. The liquid burned like fire down his throat, leaving his chest filled with warmth. Sighing, he leaned against the bar and looked out over the lake. At least that one thing hadn't changed. It had been three months since the final battle had taken place, and the whole of Britain was still suffering. Hogwarts the most. Looking out to the Forbidden Forest, he could see the giant patches of black where portions of forest had been destroyed. Yet, even the forest seemed to be faring better than himself. He had been down there a couple of times, and he knew that even in those dark, burnt patches, little sprouts of green were already beginning to show. Yes, the forest was doing _much_ better than him.

Taking yet another swig, Ron stumbled along, intending to head back inside. The wind was picking up and with each gust that tussled his too long orange hair, his entire body felt a little colder. _Hermione would know how to help me_, he thought, then nearly tripped over his own two feet when he saw her.

"Hermione…" he whispered, voice lost in the wind. He envied the black haired bloke walking next to her.

Wait. Black hair?

Leaning even more over the bar, Ron squinted to get a better look of the male. _Harry_, he thought. _That is definitely Harry!_

He watched as he drew her in closer to him and they slowly began walking down the winding path. Jealousy and anger bubbled up in Ron's chest. He already had Ginny, why was he now talking to Hermione too? Why did he always take everything he loved away from him? It wasn't fair! _He has it so easy._

He turned away from the pair, the image of Hermione pulling Harry into her arms burned into his retinas. Back inside the castle, he spotted a pair of witches helping to repair a section of crumbled wall.

"Ladies…" he said smoothly, and they giggled in response. In a bold move, the curly haired brunette eyed him up and down slowly, then bit her lip. He smirked. She was pretty in a conventional way, but it was the hair that did it for him. Curly and honey brown, _just like Hermione…_

Nodding his head at her he continued down the hall, draining the last of his Firewhiskey in one shot. He'd find her again later that night.

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If Ronald was in a bind, then Ginerva Weasley was in one _giant_ pickle. Pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace, she stared at the glowing purple tip of her wand. Really, how had this happened?

Flopping down onto her bed, Ginny looked up at the ceiling, a lone tear rolling down her face. _Oh, Harry,_ she thought. She placed a hand over her stomach, rubbing it gently. More tears escaped her eyes. _My poor, poor Harry._

The soft click of her door closing caused her to tense, and the warmth of large hands over her shoulders caused feelings of both comfort and anger.

"Stop it."

He responded by nuzzling his nose into her neck, placing small kisses along her jaw. "Make me," he whispered.

Ginny was in a pickle indeed. How was she supposed to tell him stop when he was making her feel oh, so good? Harry would never understand. Harry could never know.

"Harry," she gasped out as he trailed kisses down towards her chest. "I can't hurt Harry…"

He only smiled. "What he doesn't know won't hurt him." She scowled and pushed him away.

"How can you say that? You _know_ that he's going to find out eventually. When this baby is born there won't be a hint of Malfoy in him! When this baby is born, he or she is going to look just like _you!_" She fell backwards onto the bed once more. Rubbing his hand through his hair, Dean Thomas fell back beside her.

"We could always elope, like in that muggle movie _Anastasia."_ Ginny bit her lip so as not to laugh, but a small smile still appeared on her face anyways. Dean knew how much she loved that movie, ever since he showed it to her that first time so long ago. It was right after the war ended, when those with muggle family members left the wizarding community to go find them. Grieving the loss of her elder twin brother, Ginny had to get out of the castle before she went insane. Dean had been there for her then, and whisked her away to muggle London before she could even think twice. _No one even noticed anyways_, she thought bitterly.

Another sigh escaped. It wasn't fair to Harry, or Ron, or Hermione, or any of the other Order members if she blamed them for being too busy to notice her depression. They were all battling demons of their own then, and had the tough job of trying to get the wizarding world back on track as well. She really couldn't blame Harry for not attending to her needs. Not when she hadn't even attempted to help him with his own either.

She rolled over, so that her back was to Dean. Tears welled in her eyes once again. _Now, I really have messed everything up. How could I have done this?_

She was pregnant, and Harry James Potter was not the father.

"Did you tell him?" Dean asked suddenly. Ginny scowled at the question.

"Yes. I did. I _lied_ to Harry Potter, straight to his face, about a serious offense. I lied to Harry Potter, my boyfriend, and told him that I was RAPED by Malfoy…when in reality, I just had drunken sex with the boy he used to share a dorm with! I lied to him. Lied to the man that I love, the man who loves me too. Well, loved, I suppose." She whipped her head towards him, tears streaming down her face and expression hardened. Dean had the audacity to glare right back. Lips curling up in an expression of disgust, she willed herself to hold her tongue.

"You're half the man he is, half the man he'll ever be! I told him I was carrying Malfoy's child and he _still_ wanted to propose!" her voice broke. "Because he did. He came up here to propose to me and I…I lied to him. I deceived him. And if he ever knew, it would _kill him!_" she collapsed onto the floor, vision blinded by tears. "It would kill him..."

Dean hesitantly stretched out a hand but Ginny batted it away. "I hope you're happy, you complete git. Because I'm not. I don't even know why I listened to your _stupid_ idea in the first place! I just felt compelled to...I don't know" she shook her head. "I'm not going to pretend that I'm the innocent one," she stated bitterly, "but I hope you know that right now, I HATE you." Venom dripped from her tone.

"I hate you, Dean Thomas, because you have completely messed everything up!" She grabbed a scrap of parchment from off the table and shoved it in his face. Dean gulped.

"What is that, Gin-"

"Don't start with me!" she seethed. "A suicide note? A SUICIDE note are you-" she stopped and lowered her voice, words coming out through gritted teeth, "are you _insane?_"

"I thought it'd be the perfect excuse for you to disappear. Don't you see?" eyes wide and voice earnest, Ginny realized that Dean truly was off his rocker.

"You could easily get away. Everyone would think that you're dead! We could elope, you could have the baby, we could live in peace and no one would come looking! It'd be amazing. It'd be perfect! Don't you agree?"

She didn't even remember casting the spell. One second he was sitting on her bed, spewing psychotic shit. The next, he lay crumpled on the ground, stupefied. Gasping for breath, Ginny sank down into the carpet and sobbed. She couldn't have stopped the tears even if she wanted to.

How had it all gone so wrong?

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-Review, pretty please? Reviews provide my hands with the motivation they need to write more :D xoxo


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